(Rightallegiance.com) – Riots have erupted across the United Kingdom in recent days due to false rumors circulated online, suggesting an asylum seeker was responsible for a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event. This incident resulted in the deaths of three girls and injuries to several others. The suspect, identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was born in Wales to Rwandan parents.
While suspects under 18 are typically not named in the U.K., a judge in this case mandated the identification of the suspect to curb misinformation. Rudakubana has been charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder.
Following the stabbing spree, riots have ensued, leading to significant destruction. A library was set ablaze, a mosque was attacked, and flares were thrown at a statue of Winston Churchill. These actions appear to stem from broader concerns about immigration in the U.K. So far, hundreds of people have been arrested, and more arrests are anticipated as police review CCTV, social media, and body-worn camera footage. However, the police have cautioned that the extensive security measures deployed might impede the investigation of other crimes.
On Sunday, the violence was particularly intense in Rotherham, a town in the north of England, where police faced difficulties controlling hundreds of rioters attempting to storm a Holiday Inn Express hotel housing asylum seekers.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged on Sunday that authorities would “do whatever it takes to bring these thugs to justice.”
“I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves,” Starmer stated. “This is not a protest. It is organized, violent thuggery, and it has no place on our streets or online.”
Starmer further condemned those targeting individuals based on their skin color or faith as “far-right.”
“People in this country have a right to be safe, and yet we’ve seen Muslim communities targeted, attacks on mosques, other minority communities singled out, Nazi salutes in the street, attacks on the police, wanton violence alongside racist rhetoric, so no, I won’t shy away from calling it what it is: far-right thuggery,” he said. Before the riot was brought under some control, police officers with shields were subjected to a barrage of missiles, including pieces of wood, chairs, and fire extinguishers. A large bin near a hotel window was also set on fire but was quickly extinguished.
South Yorkshire police, responsible for Rotherham, reported that at least ten officers were injured, with one left unconscious.
“The behavior we witnessed has been nothing short of disgusting. While it was a smaller number of those in attendance who chose to commit violence and destruction, those who simply stood on and watched remain absolutely complicit in this,” said Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield. “We have officers working hard, reviewing the considerable online imagery and footage of those involved, and they should expect us to be at their doors very soon.”
Tensions were also high in Middlesbrough, a town in the northeast, where some protesters managed to break free from a police guard. This group vandalized residential areas, breaking windows of houses and cars.
Hundreds of others clashed with police at the town’s cenotaph, throwing bricks, cans, and pots at officers.
Many of the demonstrations over the past week were organized online by groups using slogans like “enough is enough,” “save our kids,” and “stop the boats.”
A key figure in amplifying these calls is Tommy Robinson, leader of the English Defense League (EDL). The Merseyside police have linked the EDL to a violent protest in Southport on Tuesday, near the scene of the stabbing attack.